A Recipe for Smoother Sundays
I have a suspicion that it’s not just at our house that Sunday mornings can become a bit stressful. If you have more than just yourself to get ready for church, you can plan on taking at least twice as long to get out the door and into your pew.
Twenty years of being a pastor’s wife, and nearly nineteen of being a mom has given me lots of practice at trying to make Sunday mornings more of a joyful experience, and less of a frantic flight to church. I’m still learning, but would like to share with you a few tips that have helped me over the years.
Saturday evenings we try and keep as a quiet family night at home as much as possible. Because we still have children, and many of them, at home, we try to get everyone bathed, fed, and to bed at a decent hour. We all function better Sunday mornings, including my pastor husband, if Saturday evenings are kept calm.
It sounds simple, and it is – if you actually do it – but selecting everyone’s outfits (even Dad’s) on Saturday, will make your Sunday morning much easier. It takes a very long time, and causes elevated blood pressure, to try and gather matching socks or intact nylons for eight people if left till the last minute. Plan and prepare the evening before for everyone’s wardrobe needs and you’ll be very thankful you did.
Setting the breakfast table the evening before and having your morning foods gathered and easy to serve also saves much time and energy. How many times have you, like me, opened the refrigerator to find out that the milk you had yesterday is now gone, and church starts in just half an hour? We all do better when our bodies are well nourished before going to feed on God’s Word at our church services.
If it’s your custom to eat at home for Sunday dinner, or to invite others over for a noon meal, try preparing it in the crock-pot beforehand so it’s one less thing to be thinking about as you’re leaving church. Our family has found that Sunday dinner is not the best time for us personally to welcome people into our home. After service, our youngest ones are often ready for some quiet time, and so is Dad after having preached and taught all morning. Instead, Sunday evenings have been a time we enjoy inviting others to our home for dessert, conversation, and sometimes games.
Sunday is my most cherished day of the week, and I hope it is yours as well!
